Newborn Kit layettes FREE BABY PATTERN LINKS

All right, in this post, I have some awesome links to some really awesome free newborn kit layette patterns. 

As you know, I and my last 2 kids at home have been going to our local humanitarian center twice a week, and I have been crocheting up items for the newborn kits.  This little activity goes hand in hand with another new passion of mine ~ GRANDCHILDREN!   YEAHHHHH!
Because YES< My oldest daughter & her wonderful husband are expecting the very first ever little GRANDSON! He is due near the end of December or the first week of January, and I have just been having a HEYDAY making little things for him.  Well, believe it or not, a kid can actually have ENOUGH  newborn handmade items....... and so, in my excitement, I make quite a few for charity too.  This not only uses up yarn stash, but also helps out other little wee ones as well.

So, in my quest for some really great, cute, versatile & FREE patterns, I have come across quite a few links to some very LOVELY patterns.  I hope that this can help any of you out there in your similar quests!

 

 

As you can see, this is a great, versatile pattern that can easily be male or female, just change up the colors!  Here is the link to Joanne Holt's fantastic newborn bubble, and on Ravelry, here.

 

 

Ok, now for the sweater pattern ~ Here we have a very fun sweater pattern that also can be male or female, depending on trims, colors, and etc. 

 

For this little sweater, I didn't add the sleeves, and I added decorative integral ties as well as a scalloped edge.

Same sweater pattern, but I have added a few rows for the sleeves.

Here again, same sweater pattern, but the sleeves are in contrast.

And with this one, I sort of improvise a fancy lower half.

This wonderful sweater pattern comes from Beth Koskie, over at Bundles of Love. 

If you would like to see my personal changes to this sweater, you can look it up on Ravelry, here.

 

Believe it or not, these both come from that same sweater pattern as well! Just a few trim differences, sleeves, and colors all make for a VERY versatile pattern that is FAST, EASY, and cute!!

 

 

 

This is my own dress & bloomers pattern,  posted here, & on Ravelry, for the dress, here,

and for the bloomers, here.  Each only takes a few hours to make, & any new mother will love them!

 

Now for the hat & booties.  The booties come from Beverly Qualheim, & can be found on her website, as well as on Ravelry. 

A few changes that I made to this pattern include an extra row of hdc ( 5 rows, instead of 4), a few different ways of decorating the cuffs, & a ruffle on the 3rd row from the bottom (pink & yellow booties).

 

 

I seem to have stuck the hat pics in the middle of the bootie pics.  Ah well ~

This hat pattern is my own, but it is totally inspired from Cathy Wood, at Cat's Rockin Crochet Fibre Arts.  I will post a proper pattern for this, along with a few sweater patterns on a new post soon.

If you understand how this form of crochet works, however, this may suffice for now ~

just chain 36, all stitches are done in the back  loop only,  go back along the chain with dc's until you get to the last six chains~ sc in each of those, make about 17 to 20 rows,  fold it in half length-wise, whip stitch or sl st  up the side, gather the sc end, stitch shut, & add a pompom.  Now fold up the brim twice, and VOILA, cute baby hat!

 

 

 

And this little pair of Valentine booties comes from this pattern, by Sandy Hagan, except that I changed up the cuff again.

 

This little set was actually NOT made for charity, but rather my sweet coming grandson, however, there is a free pattern for this, as well. It can be found over at Cathy Woods, with her Cats Rockin Crochet, as well as on Ravelry,  and let me tell you, she really does ROCK!  You will LOVE the ingenuity of these all-in-one designs.  Once you get the hang of it, you can adjust the sizes to whatever you need, just get the measurements right, and VOILA, adorable baby clothes!! 

And here are a few of the sets put together. 

For a boy.

Asian-inspired, it seems so springy to me!

For a sweet girl.

And another for a girl.  By the way, this photo bothers me, because the way I put the pieces together make it look like it just has bad proportions ~that's really not how it is in reality.  It actually goes together better.  Just bothers me, & since I already sent it in, I can't retake the pic.  It was late at night, what can I say.

 

I hope that you have enjoyed these free pattern links, and I would just be thrilled if you sent me pics  of your finished projects as well.  I will post them here so others can see your amazing work & charitable hearts.  Remember if we all work together,  with God's help, we can overcome any obstacles!

Free Easy Baby Sundress & Bloomers Pattern

What is new here at Blurt Blogger?  Well, as most of you know, I homeschool, and this year, we decided that we needed to incorporate service hours into our curriculum.  What does this have to do with a couple of free patterns?
Everything! ( I felt remotely like Yoda right there......) ;-D
We decided we wanted to help the community out with our service hours, so we looked into our local humanitarian center.  This is an organization that our church (LDS, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or more commonly known as "the Mormons") uses to help locally in our community, as well as nationally & internationally, when there is excess, or specific special needs. 

This is a link to them ( so far only on facebook, that I know of) https://www.facebook.com/idahofalls.area.humanitarian.center

And this is what they are about;  "Helping the poor and needy prolong life, reduce suffering, be self-reliant, prepare for emergencies, sustain life, and promote personal responsibility."

These are some of the things we produce there:
Toys for children, twin/full/queen quilts, receiving blankets, bereavement clothing, hygiene kits, church nursery kits, new born kits, and many more items. 

This has been a wonderful addition to our lives!  My 15 yr old son likes to help out with the wooden toys ~ he sands, basecoats them & always helps put away things & lift heavy stuff on clean-up day.  My 17 yr old daughter loves to do some of the coloring, cutting, Velcro-ing & organizing of the folder games & lessons.  ( these are actually sent out to places like Haiti, where it is difficult for the people there to obtain early learning materials.)

And I?  Well, I love to do the crochet.  And THAT is where the free patterns come in.  :-D  ( See, it really DID have to do with everything!) ;-D

I made up these two patterns in response to a need for very quick & very easy additions to the newborn kits. As such, I ask that you not sell these patterns, or put them on other webpages, please just link back to this.  I don't care if you want to sell anything made from these patterns, but I would appreciate it if you included a set or two once  in a while for your local OB ward.  They always need them,  they always appreciate them,  and you will be blessed for lending your talents to serve others.

And now for the patterns: 

Easy Baby Sundress

 

This pattern is available as a free Ravelry download

This is a very simple little sundress that can be manipulated in so many ways! If you use sport weight yarn & a 3mm hook, you will gain a preemie size, DK & a 4mm hook will give you a newborn size, DK & a 5mm hook will get you 0-3 months size, & worsted weight & a 5.5mm or 6mm hook will give you 3-6 months size.
Stitches used: ch = chain
sc = single crochet
dc = double crochet
V-stitch = double crochet, chain 1, double crochet, all in the same spot.
sl st = slip stitch
Yoke:
Row 1: Chain 68, in 3rd chain from hook, dc 1, & dc 1 in each chain for the next 8 chains (10 stitches total). V-stitch (double crochet, chain 1, double crochet) in the next chain. ( this is the back half, the extra 3 stitches count as button tab.) dc in the next 15 chains. V-stitch in the next chain. (this is one shoulder side).
dc in the next 15 chains. V-stitch in the next chain. (this is the front of the dress). dc in the next 15 chains. V- stitch in the next chain. (this is the other shoulder side.) dc in the next 7 chains, chain 3 & turn.
You will notice that there are 3 extra stitches on one side, this is because those stitches will be used as the button tab.
Row 2:
dc into 2nd dc from end (ch 3 acts as first dc on row), dc 1 in the next 6 dc’s. V-stitch into the chain1 center of V-stitch. dc into the next 17 dc’s. V-stitch into the ch1 center of V-stitch. dc into the next 17 dc’s. V-stitch into the ch1 center of V-stitch. dc into the next 17 dc’s. V-stitch into the ch1 center of V-stitch. dc into the next 11 dc’s, ch 3 , turn.
Row 3:
dc into 2nd dc from end (ch 3 acts as first dc on row), dc into the next 12 dc’s. V-stitch into the ch1 center of V-stitch. dc into the next 19 dc’s. V-stitch into the ch1 center of V-stitch. dc into the next 19 dc’s. V-stitch into the ch1 center of V-stitch. dc into the next 19 dc’s. dc into the next 9 dc’s. Ch 3 & turn.
Row 4:
dc into 1st dc, (skip 1, 2 dc, ch1, 2 dc) into next dc 4 times. 2 dc into ch 1 center of V-stitch, ch 1, 2 dc into NEXT V-stitch center. (skipping 19 dc’s & Thus forming the arm-hole). (skip 1, 2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc) 10 times, then 2 dc into ch 1 center of V-stitch, ch 1, 2 dc into NEXT V-stitch center. (skipping 19 dc’s & Thus forming the 2nd arm-hole), (skip 1, 2 dc, ch1, 2 dc) into next dc 4 times, skip 1, 2 dc into the next stitch ( there will be three stitches left, this is ok, it forms the button tab), sc 1 & slip stitch join to the other 2 dc’s. ch 3, but DO NOT turn.
All of the remaining rows will be worked in the round.
Row 5:
dc 1, ch 1, 2 dc into join ( ch 3 acts as 1st dc in row), (2dc, ch 1, 2 dc) into the ch1 of each ( ) set, all the way around, treating the join under the arms as a ( ) set. You should have 21 ( ) sets altogether.
sl st join last ( ) set into first ( ) set. sl st through very top of 1st 2 dc’s (1 is a dc, 1 is a ch3) in the round, so that you are now in the center of the ( ) set. This sets you up for the next round of ( ) stitch sets, allowing for a seamless look.
Rows 6- 16:
chain 3, dc 1, ch 1, 2 dc into join ( ch 3 acts as 1st dc in row), (2dc, ch 1, 2 dc) into the ch1 of each ( ) set, all the way around, sl st join, & sl st to center of ( ) set. Repeat 10 times.
Row 17:
Break off yarn if you are doing a contrast color. with contrasting color, sl st between ( ) set joins, and make a shell of 7 dc’s into center of ( ) set. sl st inbetween next ( ) set, & continue around, to make a total of 21 shells.
Finishing:
sc around neck-line in contrasting color. You may also wish to sc around the armholes.
Add a button or two sewed onto the flap in the back, no need for button-holes as the dc stitches work just fine for it.
Also, if you wish, the buttons may be the front of the dress just as easily as the back.
I hope you enjoy this simple little pattern. I made it up in response to a need for our local humanitarian center newborn kits, because it is fast & easy, & can be worked up in just a few hours.
I also have made up a bloomers or diaper cover pattern to match this dress. I hope you will try it out!
Also, if you have some spare yarn, please make a little set for some needy child at your local OB ward, just drop it off, I guarantee they can always use it, it will help someone who truly needs it ~ a tiny innocent new one. Have a beautiful, service-filled day, & God Bless you for your kindness!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Newborn Bloomers or Diaper Cover

 

This pattern is available as a free Ravelry download

This pattern can be adjusted easily for size, just add more rows of the ( ) sets. If you must add more at the waistline, remember that the repeat is 3. Also, If you use sport weight yarn & a 3mm hook, you will gain a preemie size, DK & a 4mm hook will give you a newborn size, DK & a 5mm hook will get you 0-3 months size, & worsted weight, a 5.5mm or 6mm hook, & add a few more rows, it will give you 3-6 months size.
Stitches used: sl st = slip stitch
Sc = single crochet
Dc = double crochet
Ch = chain
Row 1:
Chain 65, slip stitch join to beginning of chain, being careful not to twist, ch 3, do NOT turn
Row 2:
Dc into each chain 65 times, for a total of 66 stitches. Sl st join & ch 2.
Row 3:
Sc into each dc 65 times, sl st join, sl st to 1st sc
Row 4:
In 1st sc, ch 3, dc 1, ch 1, dc 2, skip 2 sc’s, & ( 2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc,) skip 2, repeat ( ) set to the end of row, sl st join to beginning ch 3 of 1st set.
Row 5 – 13:
Sl st in tops of ch 3 & dc stitches to chain 1 center of ( ) set, ch 3, dc 1,ch 1, dc 2 to make beginning set of next row. Skip to next ( ) center & ( 2dc, ch1, 2 dc) all the way around, for a total of 21 ( ) sets. On last row, Sl st to join last ( ) set with beginning ( ) & then center your bloomers, find the middle, do a sl st join, secure & break off yarn.
Legs:
Row 1:
Sl st into one of the center ( ) sets, sc, then sc into each ( ) center & in between each ( ) set, for a total 20 sc’s, sl st join, ch2
Rows 2 & 3:
Sc in each sc, sl st join, ch 2 (repeat). Break off yarn & weave in ends.
Make a tie & thread through every 3 dc’s on waist band, & TAA DAAAA, you are done!
I hope you enjoy this simple little pattern. I made it up in response to a need for our local humanitarian center newborn kits, because it is fast & easy, & can be worked up in just a few hours.
I also have made up sundress pattern to match these bloomers. I hope you will try it out!
Also, if you have some spare yarn, please make a little set for some needy child at your local OB ward, just drop it off, I guarantee they can always use it, it will help someone who truly needs it ~ a tiny innocent new one. Have a beautiful, service-filled day, & God Bless you for your kindness!

 

Here are a few variations of these patterns.

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Facebook Sucked My Brain Out

But thankfully, I was clever, and never did join the ranks of ~Farmville'ers, Mafia War'ers, & the Host of other Idle-Time Passing Games~.   Had I done so, I may never have come up for air.  What is it with Facebook?  Well, I have a little theory ~ it's like the biggest chat room you ever saw, with pictures, friends, friends of friends, friends of friends of friends of friends, suspended reality, suspended time, heck, even suspended belief!  You can stay in your protected little circle, sorta safe-ish (ISH!!!) for kids, you can connect with long lost family & friends, or you could meet all new people.  For the most (ish!) part, people use their real names & identities, so you don't feel like your neighbor JoAnna Smith is really Bubba down at the county jail..... The perks go on.   
But OOOHH, how it sucks your brain out!
I once spent an HOUR and a HALF on Facebook.  To ME, who doesn't even like watching tv, that's a Looooooong time ~ an embarrassingly looonnngg time.
So, in an effort to pull myself out of the whirling / yet vascilating / yet fascinating social vortex that is Facebook, I have decided to blog again. 
woo
dooble
hoo
Here's the other dealio with Facebook ~ you get feedback.  I mean, let's be honest, my fellow bloggers, you look over at the visit counter & you see 36 thooouuuusand visits, and you have only 3 people amongst them who cared enough to even make a freakin comment??
Of course, it's hard to blog on Facebook.  It's so very superficial, you might say.  And I would agree.  Bloggers are NOT that superficial, you might argue.  And I would agree again.  But Dang-it, we bloggers are TIGHT with our commentary, & you ALLL KNOW IT! 
Heck, I'm sorta tight with my commentary, and anyone who knows me on blogger thinks I'm a freakin Chatty Kathy with loose lips, where-as on Facebook, I can't seem to comment enough.
It's a strange dilemma, to be sure. 
At least I DO know that with BLogging, once I've written it all out, I do have a certain sense of fulfillment, whereas with Facebook, I have found that if you write beyond the five lines that automatically show up in the comment area, NOBODY reads it.  How irritating is that?
Sort of like the difference between eating at home ( blogging) ~takes a bit longer to prepare, but it tastes good, & 2 hrs later, you are still full ~  & eating out at McDonald's (Facebook) ~ immediately satifying, but follows you around all day like a baaaad reminder of a POOR choice. 
So yah~ there yah go ~ confessions of a blogger/sometimes Facebooker ~
Facebook sucked my brain out.  But can Blogger give it back?
Although this helps, it's still not enough.  I need mental stimulation!  AAAHHHHGGGGG.
(Sorry, my little bout of cabin fever has grown into a slightly more advanced case of ECF ( Extended Cabin Fever ) it's gone beyond the need for crafty knitty crochet-ish dollmaking woodworking sewing eBaying projects & moved right into the MUST. HAVE. SUNSHINE. SOOOOOOON. stage)~


All righty then.  A little weird, true.  BUT I NEEEEEEEDDD SUNSHINE! 
You know, only the severe lack of sunshine could possibly force me over the edge & into Facebook-ishness.
Oranges. 
You know, oranges are a sunshine fruit.
Don't you ever just smell an orange & feel a little more tropical & sunny?
Me too.
Ok, then. 
All righty.


You know what I saw the other day, that sparked a bit of imagination?  These vintage sewing books by Martha Pullen, called Sew Beautiful.
What else fired up a bit of thought?  Google the words Yarn Bombing.  heheheheheh
I think those ladies ( & a few gents) must have a bit of ECF going on too.  And perhaps a very laaaarge ~Stash~ as well.   Hmmmmmmmm.  Now there's a thought, eh?

Amigurumi ~ another Yarn fix!

Amigurumi is this new fun thingy in crochet that I've been up to ~ I checked out Ana Paula Rimoli's Seriously Cute Crochet from the library  & had total fun!!!  The turtle I made doesn't look much like the turtle in the book, but that's the beauty of the book, she encourages you to ~ Explore & Expound ~.   For me, this is perfect, because you all know how I have a hard time sticking to the pattern.  I also made a little ugly duckling & an egg, and I am working on a few eggshells. 

In the meantime, I also found these two wonderful Japanese Diagram Amigurumi books ~ ( & you know how I adore the diagrams!)  Get a load of the titles, I think they are so funny, yet so cute! Mr. Funky's Super Crochet Wonderful  See?  Isn't that sorta cute?  It really is the name!!  I think it must be a literal translation or something.  Also, if you aren't so hot with the diagrams, it explains in English the rounds & what to do.  Yah, there are psychadelic eyes & a man-purse and such, but the information is good.  You can put the purse on whichever animal you want, & the eyes don't have to be albino pink ~ you can make them black, or brown or blue or green or .........    Anyway, it's a fun book.  In fact, it's a Super Crochet Wonderful book ~ even a little Funky ~ ;-D

The other book I bought is called Super Cute: 25 Amigurumi Animals ( the Japanese like adjectives, and super, cute, & wonderful are some of the best ~ I would use them too! ;-D )

This little book is great, it has some really fun animals in it, and again, it's in both English language, with written directions, & in Japanese diagrams with English explanations.  I haven't done anything out of it yet, but I intend to.  I will post pics when I do. 

Other WIPS ~ do I dare admit?  Ok, it's true, I have also been working on some older-people crochet.  And I don't mean granny squares.  I made a girl's top ( fits about an adult small or maybe a youth lg) anyway ~ see what you think.

Japanese Diagram Crochet Explained!

Ok, since writing my first post about Japanese Crochet Diagrams, I have had tons of requests on how to read them, try to explain them, etc. The first thing you should know is that I don't read Japanese. I have given some really awesome links on where you can find help with translation HERE.  There is also a chart with hook sizes comparing US, UK, Japanese, & steel hooks within the pages of this same link, so that you can easily use the correct size hooks for your projects.

But what seems to be a continuing issue, is the question of what all those diagram symbols mean, and what stitches do they symbolize? I have several fantastic books that go into great detail regarding stitch symbols, however, I will only cover the very most basic of them for now.

First, I reccomend the "Harmony Guide to Crochet Stitches" as it explains in detail in ENGLISH the diagrams & their symbols, and you should know ~ they do match up with the Japanese symbols. This is an older book, published in 1988, and so it may be a bit diffiucult to get ahold of. I reccomend both Amazon.com & eBay.com.

Second I reccomend this excellent Japanese book called "Basics of Crochet for Beginners".  It very clearly covers almost every single stitch you will run into with these Japanese Diagram Crochet books. 

Just a small sampling so that you can see that even though you may not be able to read Japanese,  there are so many pictures that it explains itself.  This book also covers basic alteration, pattern manipulation & construction.  If you are a visual learner, these two books alone will enable you to easily use the Japanese Diagram crochet books. 

Here is another great tip when looking for more Japanese diagram books on crochet ~ the Japanese also call crochet "knitting".  I don't know why, but they do.  So, if you look up books either on Amazon or eBay, be aware that it really doesn't matter if it says "how to knitting"... it's probably still going to be crochet.  Click on one of the pictures above to enlarge it, and see an excellent example of such ~ you can see in the top right-hand corner that it clearly says "how to knitting", and yet the instructions are just as clearly crochet. 

Also, several of the better sellers on eBay will include many pictures of the contents of the Japanese craft books, so you can tell whether or not it is a "knitting-but really crochet" book or a "knitting AND crochet" book, or even a real knitting book.  Because yes, these awesome diagram books are also for knitters!  There are symbols & stitch examples with a ton of pictures for knitting as well.  And, the Harmony Guide to Knitting Stitches is also available from both Amazon.com & ebay.com.

I hope that this helps all of you with your Japanese Diagram Crochet Quest!  I've said it before, but I think it bears saying again ~ when you have the diagram before you ( I use a printed copy so the book stays nice), and a color pencil in hand, you can sail through these projects!!  Case in point is the three (3!!, three!, THREE!) layette items that I started AND FINISHED last week, shown in my previous post.  These were done, for the most part, while watching my kids do their schoolwork ( I homeschool, for those of you that didn't know that).  The patterns are extremely easy to follow, and I can easily mark where I am at, put it down, pick it up, & regain my place in just seconds.   Kid has a question, needs a bit of "motivation" ;-D, or even just lunch break, & it's that easy! 
Good luck on your Japanese Diagram Crochet Quest, let me know if this has helped you, and above all, HAVE FUN!